Great article, but to set the record straight, Sara Kennedy is the manager at the Abingdon Chick-fil-A and Valerie Combs is the manager of the Aberdeen restaurant. Michael just happens to be the owner of both.

The event is expected to draw more than 100 campers spending the night on the restaurant's parking lot in hopes of winning 52 free combo meals, through a lottery system.

Restaurant manager Michael McFerren, who also manages the Chick-fil-A in Abingdon, said Aberdeen's residents seem excited for the business.

"People are pumped and excited," he said about the community's response. "They have been waiting for several years for this Chick-fil-A to come in."

McFerren said the restaurant management is eager to partner with as many area schools as possible.

"Our mission statement for Chick-fil-A Aberdeen is going to be to have a positive attitude," McFerren said. "We are excited to be in the community, see what kind of positive effect we can have on our community."

Customers will not be allowed on the parking lot until about 6 or 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the day before the restaurant opens, he said.

Traffic logistics for the expected camp-out are still being negotiated, he said. The restaurant is at an intersection that is often heavily traveled in the mornings.

"We are going to have to play it by ear," McFerren said.

Chick-fil-A has a direct entrance only from the west side of Beards Hill Road.

The restaurant will be open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. McFerren said he wanted to have 104 employees in place by this week but had only 82 as of Thursday afternoon. He is still looking primarily for daytime employees.

Chick-fil-A is part of continued retail development near the I-95 interchange in Aberdeen. Farther north on Beards Hill Road, a Firestone Complete Auto Care Center is expected to open in early October.

It will be an 8,500-square-foot store with 10 service bays and eight to 10 employees, Bridgestone-Firestone spokeswoman Susan Steeno said.

City of Aberdeen leaders are expected to review during the coming weeks an amendment to the law that governs how they can spend money from the settlement received in 2011 after the municipal wellfield was contaminated with a gasoline additive.

A final plat for a Chick-fil-A at the corner of Route 22 and Beards Hill Road, where a gas station sits, was approved 4-1 Monday night by the Aberdeen City Council. The council also enacted the city's budget for the 2014 fiscal year.